1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to video camera image orientation equipment, and in particular to a video image capture, correction, and transmission system for use with an object that has an orientation with respect to its direction of travel.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of video to capture information is accomplished for a variety of purposes. Information that has an informative or entertainment value may benefit from recording and re-transmission. Often the manner in which the information is captured and the vantage point is of particular interest. For example, competitive sporting activities are often televised for analysis and entertainment purposes. The environment and breadths of vantage points available to television viewers are ever increasing. Traditional vantage points include the perimeter and areas outside the competition area that are either in a static or moving relationship with respect to the competitors. Technology has advanced miniaturization and durability of video image capture and transmission equipment making it feasible to access vantage points not possible with traditional video equipment. Increasingly, viewers experience competitive sporting events from the perspective of players and from various vantage points within the competition area. Video equipment has been attached to helmets of football players and embedded in baseball diamonds providing a unique perspective of the game for television viewers.
Use of image capture devices in such dynamic environments is made possible by technology that provides stabilization of the image capture device relative to the optical axis. It is well known in the art that miniaturized accelerometers and gyroscopes can be used to compensate for movement of light collecting and image capture devices using circuitry to coordinate physical adjustment of such devices. Such technology allows for correction of aberrations generated by movement of the equipment vertically and horizontally with respect to the optical axis. A particular limitation of such technology as deployed is the ability to compensate for motion of the camera and transmission of a stable image when the equipment is rotated along the optical axis. Rotation of video equipment about the optical axis generates an image where the horizon does not remain level thereby creating an image that is difficult to look at. This limitation prevents video equipment from being deployed in environments where the vantage point is subject to rotation about the optical axis. What is needed is a video and data capturing system that can correct image deviations related to rotation about the optical axis using mechanical and image processing methods.
Heretofore there has not been available a video and data capturing and transmission system with the advantages and features of the present invention.